Monthly Archives: June 2011

The Harry Potter Kids Sum Up Their Experience In One Word


The young cast of Harry Potter say goodbye by summing up their experiences working on the films in one word. Oh how they’ve grown. Now they will be individually whisked away to other franchises based on lesser books/comic books that will probably never yield them the same satisfaction they got when they were six years olds pretending to cast spells with wooden sticks (Tom Felton already finds himself in the Planet of Apes reboot. My money is on him playing a disgruntled lab tech who often makes disparaging remarks to the apes for being different from him).

It’s kind of tragic in a way. At least the Lord of the Rings cast was old enough to have been around the block once or twice before they were cast back out into the cruel world where they had to pay rent doing Adam Sandler movies. The Harry Potter kids might be in for some hard times, but I hope they all land on their feet. For now, let’s collectively pray that Rupert Grint doesn’t end up in Transformers. Because I don’t want to hate him.

Is Your Namesake From A Book?

A recent post from Kate Evangelista’s Reads, Reviews, Recommends blog profiling Irish author Noel Farrell’s new book, Booker’s World, a story about a man dealing with a friend’s suicide during the Irish recession, reminded me of another bit of depressing Celtic literature, Leon Uris’ Trinity.

I was told at a very young age that I was named after the protagonist of Trinity, Conor Larkin. Admittedly, I have not gotten around to reading Trinity yet (So, I can’t actually say it is a depressing book, but the synopsis sure makes it seem that way. And I mean, the guy I was named after gets shot in the head, so that morbid detail doesn’t quite have me rushing to read it), but it’s on my list of books to read and hopefully I’ll get around to it this year.

Despite Conor Larkin’s tragic (and hopefully heroic) death in Trinity, I’ve always enjoyed my name. I like having something off the beaten path that reminds me of my Irish roots. I have to thank my parents for not naming me something like Drake Chesterfield or Chet Porterhouse (I apologize to all Chesterfields and Porterhouses, I’m sure they’re great names, just not for me).

What about you? Were you named after a literary character? If so, which one? Was there a literary character you wished you were named after? Do you plan on naming any of your kids after characters from books? If you plan on naming any kids/pets after characters from Twilight, how deep of a hole are you digging for them? When will the terrible, terrible repercussions for what you’ve done finally set in? When they reach middle school? High school? College?

Proofreading Services: Diana Cox

I’m not big on pushing people or services on this site, but it’s hard not to give a glowing recommendation when you’re completely satisfied with someone’s services. Which brings me to Diana Cox.

If you need proofreading help, even if you just want to polish your manuscript before submitting it to agents/publishers, look no further than Diana Cox. Quick, efficient and affordable, without sacrificing any shred of professionalism, she embodies what you look for in a quality proofer. And if you give her a manuscript that’s not too messy, she might even say nice things about it. Visit her website to learn more about her services, rates and turnaround times. You won’t be disappointed.

Douglas Adams And The Kindle Prophecy

It was recently noted by a user in the reddit community that Douglas Adam more or less predicted the Kindle many years before it hit the market. Here is the passage from Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy:

“He also had a device that looked rather like a largish electronic calculator. This had about a hundred tiny flat press buttons and a screen about four inches square on which any one of a million ‘pages’ could be summoned at a moment’s notice. It looked insanely complicated…”

I’m a big fan of Douglas Adams and although he’s often given credit for his humor, I don’t think people realize how smart his writing really was. His satire was more spot on than most people acknowledge. The best usually are though. (media bistro)

'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo' US Trailer

Even though this is a remake of the fairly solid original Swedish version, where the character of Lisbeth Salander was played by the very capable Noomi Rapace, I can’t deny that David Fincher’s US remake doesn’t look somewhat enticing. Calling on his music video background, he’s cut a trailer that undeniably gives you chills if you’re familiar with any of Stieg Larsson’s source material. Now, we just have to see if the movie can live up to the quality of the trailer when it is released this year on December 21 (a Christmas movie, really?).

Are you a fan of these books, or do you think they were overrated/overhyped? Will you go see the American remake? How well do you think it will be received by American audiences? And how much censoring do you think they’ll do for this version?

Chicago's Printers Row Lit Fest (June 4-5)

If you are a Chicagoan or live around the Greater Chicago area, you should take note of the Printers Row Lit Fest kicking off its annual event this weekend. This year’s fair will feature authors like Chuck Palahniuk and JA Konrath, and will gather over 160 exhibitors, booksellers, publishers and literary organizations. I myself may stop by to see some of the events. For more info visit the Chicago Tribune. So, hop to it and get out there to meet new people, be inspired and buy some new books. No excuses!